Although anxiety can be a natural and useful response, it's not helpful when it gets out of hand. We can start worrying about all the things that might go wrong and get caught up in an ever-decreasing circle of negative forecasting. Anxiety can cripple us and limit us in so many ways, leading to panic attacks and fears about our health. It's very natural to feel anxious sometimes. It's a necessary part of the human repertoire of feelings and behaviors that was designed for our benefit and survival.
If we were under threat, escaping from danger for example, then the anxiety response would help us to endure and evade the situation. It does this by releasing stress hormones such as cortisol and adrenaline into the bloodstream. These hormones promote changes in the body which help us to respond to the threatening environment.
However, sometimes anxiety becomes a problem because we can start to worry about things that aren't dangerous or, for that matter, even real.
How to Deal with Anxiety using Hypnosis
When our anxiety takes over then it makes the world a very scary place. Often, we become more and more limited in the things that we can do or enjoy because our anxious thoughts color everything with the potential of disaster, crisis or misfortune.
Hypnotherapy is an excellent way to reduce feelings of anxiety and help people to restore a sense of calm and balance. When the hypnotherapist induces a relaxing trance state it signals the whole system to calm down, so that both the physical and mental functions of the body can really begin to feel a deeper sense of safety and comfort.
The Power of Imagination
Many people with anxiety think about everything in a very negative way. Our brains are very good at imagining situations. We can project our thoughts into the future and feel a sense of doom, nervousness, and fear about things that haven't even happened.
This negative forecasting can cause us problems because, quite simply, this part of the brain doesn't know what's real and what's imaginary. That's why we can watch a horror film late at night and feel scared, even though we know it's just a film. We can think of our favorite meal and notice our mouth salivating with just the thought.
We already know how powerful our minds are and how our bodies respond to our thoughts. Therefore, through the power of hypnotherapy, we can work with the subconscious mind to change our thinking patterns so that we become more focused on the positive aspects of our lives. Because hypnosis works in the very area where the anxious thoughts originate from it can be a very effective treatment.
Healing Past Events
We can also feel anxious when we worry too much about past events and experiences. We may have suffered or gone through times that have been hard or traumatic. Unfortunately, the more time we spend thinking about and reliving those experiences, the more anxious we will become. The brain will build strong neural pathways to those events that we focus on because it believes these things are especially important to us. This forms the basis of compulsive thinking and excessive worrying.
Hypnosis can help us to deal with past events in a safe environment. Sometimes regression is used so that we can process deeper feelings and memories in a way that releases us. A real sense of freedom can be found in this way.
We can imagine that the mind is like a dusty attic room, full of old bits of junk that aren't needed. This junk is the equivalent of all the negative thoughts that keep tripping us up and making us feel stuck. When we give the mind a spring clean, we can find the hidden treasures and really appreciate all the beautiful things that have been out of sight. Not only that, we find the space to be ourselves once again. That wonderful word, "space", that lets us know that we have decluttered our minds and can turn our attention to a positive and happy future.
Common Anxiety Symptoms
If you're not sure if you are suffering from anxiety or not, some of the most common symptoms are listed below:
- Increased heart rate
- Unable to concentrate
- Shaking or trembling
- Sweating
- Dry mouth
- Clammy hands
- Diarrhea
- Stomach upset
- Muscle tension
- Chest pain
It may be necessary to consult your medical practitioner to rule out any physical problems if you are suffering from these types of symptoms. It can be reassuring to know, however, that most of the time hypnotherapy can work alongside any medical treatment you may require. As a complementary support system, hypnotherapy can be extremely beneficial.
Take the First Step
Some of my past clients describe how they were curious about the hypnosis process before they booked their first session but some anxious thoughts initially held them back. When we are feeling anxious it's quite natural to be fearful of the unknown — that's what this primitive part of the brain does very well. Anxiety keeps us from trying new experiences because it wants to feel safe and follow old habits. Sadly, this kind of thinking soon forces us to become a prisoner of the mind, stuck in that dusty attic with no escape route.
Luckily, these same clients decided that it was time to change and made that courageous first step. Hypnotherapy is safe and natural, working with our own minds to encourage new behaviors and new ways of thinking.
The power of trance, combined with positive suggestion and techniques to direct our subconscious minds to more empowering belief systems can lead us into a free and happy future so that we can really start to enjoy a better quality of life.